Chapter 14
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The Male and Female Leads Broke Up - Episode 14
Then the man suddenly issued a command to someone.
At his signal, one adult man and four children burst out from behind the large tree and tall grass on the left side of the street.
"Children!"
Looking at their condition, I was relieved to see they appeared unharmed.
But something about their behavior seemed odd.
If the man before me truly were the Kidnapper, fear should have filled the children's eyes—yet instead, upon seeing William and me, they shrank behind the man who had apparently been with them all this time.
I stared at the man I'd been facing off against, bewilderment written across my features.
"What do you intend to do once you take the children?"
The man suddenly posed the question to me.
"Of course, I'll hand them over to the Security Force. They'll determine what's best for the children."
That was all I could do for the children.
Since I couldn't continue caring for them myself, I had no choice but to entrust their future to the Security Force.
"Don't you think that's rather irresponsible?"
"I'm sorry—what are you—"
His words left me speechless.
Did he just call me irresponsible?
"I don't know what reason the lady had for rescuing the Circus Troupe's children, but if you hand them to the Security Force, these children will eventually return to the Circus Troupe."
"They can be sent to the Orphanage instead. The Security Force will send them there. So why—how—in what sense would they return to the Circus Troupe?"
The man was looking at me as though I were a pitiful person who acted recklessly without considering the consequences.
"The Security Force exists for a reason. Are you saying they're not doing their job properly?"
The man said nothing.
That silence was his answer—an affirmation.
Soon after, he spoke.
"A Security Force in a small Village like this operates that way. They accept bribes and turn a blind eye for convenience. The Circus Troupe traveling across the Continent surely knows this as well. And when dawn breaks, contrary to your wishes, they'll likely be released, and the children will be taken back."
"How could such a thing—"
No, wait.
When I thought about it, corruption existed everywhere.
The world I came from and the world I now inhabit were no different at all.
"Then what do you intend to do with the children?"
I asked him directly.
"I..."
That familiar expression crossed his face again.
He seemed to be deliberating once more about how much to tell me.
But soon his deliberation ended, and the man met my gaze directly and opened his mouth to speak.
"I've been rescuing children who belong to the Circus Troupe and sending them to the Orphanage that I sponsor. Since I manage it personally, it's safe."
"But how can I trust you?"
The man's expression didn't seem like he was lying.
Yet I couldn't judge the matter of children based solely on appearance and expression.
"I don't take children away arbitrarily. I simply give them the opportunity to choose first."
"That's right! We chose to follow him!"
At that moment, a red-haired girl interjected into our conversation.
"This man saved us! He gave us our lives back!"
"That's right!"
The other children began to agree in unison.
Hearing the children speak, the man didn't seem like a bad person at all—quite different from my earlier arbitrary judgment.
"With the children saying such things, it seems I shouldn't interfere further. However, since confirmation is necessary, please tell me which Orphanage it is. If you've deceived me, I will never forgive you."
"Understood."
The man smiled as he answered.
I found myself thinking how beautiful the handsome man looked when he smiled, but I shook my head, reminding myself this wasn't the time for such thoughts.
"Then when will you depart for the Orphanage?"
"We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."
"Ah, then I have a child in my care. He was from this Circus Troupe, and they call him Number Five—"
"Number Five?"
"Are you talking about Number Five?"
At the mention of Number Five, the area around the children grew noisy.
"Where is Number Five right now? Is he hurt? Is he alive?"
Each child was asking me whether the boy was safe, whether he was well, and whether he was even alive.
"Yes. He's alive, and not hurt at all. I'm taking care of him right now."
I answered while making eye contact with each child one by one.
"So, I'd like for you to take that child with you as well."
And finally, I looked up at the man and spoke.
"Where is the child right now?"
"He's at the Inn where I'm staying."
"Then I'll go retrieve him."
"Well, just a moment. To be honest, I still can't completely trust you. So would it be alright if my escort knight stays with the children until they depart tomorrow?"
I gestured to William, and he nodded slightly.
"Very well. Then please have my subordinate guide you. He'll take you to the Inn where the children will stay until tomorrow morning."
"Yes, that's fine. Then I'll go to my Inn with you."
"Understood. Derek."
So the man who had been standing beside the children the whole time was named Derek.
When I called his name, he bowed his head.
"You heard everything, right? Let's depart."
"Understood."
"Sir William."
"Yes, miss."
"Thank you for your trouble. And...."
Instead of telling him to watch carefully for any misconduct, I signaled him with my eyes.
And so we dispersed, each heading toward our own destination.
I walked toward the Inn where I was staying, accompanied by the man.
For a while, silence settled between us.
It wasn't uncomfortable, but the monotony of walking without exchanging words grew tedious, so I spoke to him first.
"What is your name? Well, I suppose I should know it for verification purposes later."
For some reason, asking his name felt like I was showing personal interest in him, so I hastily added a reason.
"It's Aiden."
"Aiden...."
As I unconsciously murmured the man's name, he fixed me with an intense stare.
"And what is the lady's name?"
"I'm Belle."
"Belle...."
Aiden, upon hearing my name, softly uttered it aloud as well.
Perhaps he was thinking the same thing I was.
Both he and I were unmistakably noble by appearance alone.
Just as I had recognized at a glance that he was a noble heir, he must have recognized at a glance that I was a noble lady.
So when I offered only my name without my family name, he likely felt a hint of suspicion while simultaneously understanding that there must be a reason for it.
"How did you come to be involved in such work?"
As silence fell between us once more, I posed the question that had intrigued me most since earlier.
It was quite unusual for a noble to personally involve himself in the affairs of the Circus Troupe's children.
Of course, I too had become entangled in this matter, but in my case, it was circumstance born of coincidence.
However, when I had asked him before, though he had hesitated, the way he spoke of sending the children to the Orphanage without reservation made it clear that he frequently engaged in such work.
"There is no particular reason. I simply happened to learn that children from the Circus Troupe were being kidnapped and abused, and I could not stand idly by."
"You happened to learn...?"
"Yes, that's correct."
His answer felt unsatisfying, but it was a question without sufficient grounds or meaning to press further.
I simply hoped this man was not a fraud, and that the children would live safely going forward.
"Then was your collision with me near the Performance Venue earlier for the purpose of investigating something?"
"Yes. Now that I think about it, I noticed the child who had been doing the tightrope walking was missing, but it seems the lady had been with him."
"That's right. I happened to see the child being beaten by Circus Troupe members on the street and rescued him."
I emphasized the word "happened" as I spoke.
After saying so, I continued walking forward, but I felt the man's gaze from beside me burning intensely.
"I would have thought you'd avoid getting involved in such matters, but you are quite remarkable, lady."
"Am I? I think anyone would have acted as I did."
"No. Not everyone would have acted as you did."
I turned my head to the side and glanced at him.
For some reason, his gaze felt warm and gentle.
"You're too kind. It's rather embarrassing to hear such praise from someone who seems to be doing far more remarkable things than I am."
After exchanging a few words, it became clear that this person was not the type to simply take children away and do something with them.
"So you're always rescuing the children from the Circus Troupe like this?"
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